CIU!: Pre-Exam Seminar on “EFFICIENT STUDY TECHNIQUES" organized by CIU

A seminar entitled “Efficient study techniques: Ways of coping with the exam anxiety” was organized by the Cyprus International University Department of Psychological Counseling and Guidance, affiliated to the CIU Faculty of Education.

The seminar was held at the Çevik Uraz Conference Hall and was attended by the Head of Department Assist. Prof. Gürcan Seçim, Lecturer and speaker of the conference Assist. Prof. Emre Müezzin, the Academic Advisor for the Psychological Counseling and Guidance Club Instructor Şerife  Özbiler, as well as a great number of students.

 Study less but more efficiently

Speaking on study techniques, Department Lecturer Assist. Prof. Dr. Emre Müezzin touched upon student psychology. She pointed out that she was against studying for hours where one hour of efficient study would be sufficient. Concerning study techniques, Müezzin underlined that it was very important to study systematically, using the time effectively in an appropriate setting with distractive elements eliminated, and pointed out that each student would themselves determine the appropriate study technique.

 Don’t forget why you are here

Expressing that students have duties, Dr Müezzin added “It’s your prerogative to draw up your study schedule, and to choose your study environment. Every student surely feels the need to go out and have fun, and very rightly too.  However, you should not steer away from your goals when giving way to your needs.” Pointing out that there should not be any lacking items in the study environment and among study materials with basic needs being met on time, Müezzin added that a bout of study should not exceed 45 minutes and should be followed by a pause of 15 minutes.

Müezzin said that in order for the student to be able to focus more actively on their lectures, they needed to be physiologically more comfortable, and they needed to extract themselves from stress-inducing environments.

Speaking of the exam anxiety, its causes and effects, and the problems experienced by students, Dr. Müezzin explained that anxiety prevents a task from being carried out, and can also generate physical problems. She added, “anxiety is a necessary phenomenon, yet an excess of it can have a substantial effect on the tasks that you have to carry out and can generate problems such as memory failure and attention deficit”. She stated that anxiety is caused by a failure to use time efficiently as well as by divergent thought patterns.

 At the conclusion of the seminar, Dr. Müezzin presented a short film entitled “studying efficiently” to the participants prior to administering a psychological test.

Credit: CIU